Fashion / Society

Let Cos' latest artist collaboration inject some colour in your closet

By Josefin Forsberg

Photo: COS x Lea Colombo

Artist Lea Colombo’s capsule collection with Cos is an artful display of colour. We speak to Colombo about her South African influences and the inspiration of natural beauty

"Firstly, I am Capetonian, born and raised here. So this is a place I’ve always, or most of the time, called home", Lea Colombo says as she explains the inspiration behind her new capsule collection, launching on the first of July in collaboration with Cos.

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A self-taught artist born in 1993 in Cape Town, South Africa, Colombo is somewhat of a creative nomad. However, she has quickly cemented her place in the commercial fashion world as a photographer and director and has gained equal traction with her fine art.

“In the last year, I decided to take time and come back to South Africa to focus on my first solo show", Colombo says. According to the artist, the energy in Africa kept beckoning her to return. “Africa itself holds a very strong and powerful energy, so there was something bringing me back,” she says. “The amazing surroundings and nature and colours that are so prevalent in South Africa inspire my day-to-day and work."

Recognised for her bold and saturated style, Colombo examines colour, light and emotion in her work. “It’s everything and a very strong grounding force", the artist explains. “The connection to the way colour works heals, touches, amplifies and uplifts... I find this dynamic super incredible. The true power of colour in my eye is underestimated.”

For the collaboration with Cos, flowers played a vital role in the artwork. “I’ve always been interested in their beauty, natural form, and predominant colour”, Colombo explains. “It's something so extraordinary that nature has created. The vastness of their beauty, shapes and form I find incredible. So it was only natural that I use an object of deep energetic beauty in my work.”

Artist Lea Colombo wearing the Cos capsule collection.

Three exclusive prints have been created by Colombo for the capsule collection, all vivid and powerful yet with soft elements.

“I create strong, vibrant, colourful images in the darkroom,” says Colombo. The contrasting colours are juxtaposed against the more delicate floral images, reflecting a constant exploration of duality, tension, and balance, according to the artist. “They were produced back home in Cape Town, where my creativity is always awakened by incredible natural beauty - to transfer this onto clothing is a beautiful exchange of energy,” she says.

Comparable to wearable canvases, the new collection of warm-weather staples for men and women includes T-shirts, shirts, and dresses - all produced with Cos’ committed focus on sustainable materials. Of seeing the clothes come to life on the models, Colombo explains the experience as “so fun, so powerful and expressive".

"I love it. I love the way people’s personalities come alive when they wear colours and clothes that authentically represent them.”

Colombo also shot the campaign, saying that the experience only added to the colourful Colombo universe. "I see beauty as far deeper than external expression, so being able to capture the energy of the clothes and the multiple layers of personality that colour manifests allowed me to complete the circuit."